4 Questions to Ask a Long Island Dog Trainer Before Hiring Them

Whether you are the proud dog mom or dad of a scrappy young pup or you have a well-loved family pet who needs a refresher, a professional Long Island dog trainer can help you and your pet. If you have never worked with a dog trainer before, it might seem challenging to find one you are confident will get your canine pal to the place they need to be. Fortunately, there are a some key questions you can ask a dog trainer before hiring them so that you know you found the right one.

Will You Assess My Dog?

Before getting down to business, you want first to be assured that the dog trainer will perform a proper assessment of your dog and then inform you of that assessment. If a dog trainer cannot tell you what they thought of your dog and his mannerisms, it could be an indication that the trainer is not proficient in reading animal behavior. A seriously bad sign for anyone considering hiring a Long Island dog trainer. Secondly, the assessment the dog trainer provides you with will tell you how they view your dog. Perhaps, the trainer is coming off as too negative. If this is the case, you’ll want to look for a trainer who can inform you of areas of improvement without being overly pessimistic.

What if My Dog Still Doesn’t Understand?

The right answer you’ll want to hear from the dog trainer is that they have a backup plan. You don’t want to hire a dog trainer who has the same training strategy for every single dog they work with. Every dog is different, which generally means that every training session should be dif/ferent. A professional dog trainer should always be prepared for a dog who might not understand something the first few times or respond well to a certain method of training. In these instances, they’ll need to use alternative techniques and they should be able to give you examples of what those techniques might be.

How Can I Be Sure My Dog’s Success Will Last?

Once your dog has gone through training and has successfully met all of the expectations laid out for him by you and the trainer, you obviously want that success to last. But how can you be sure it will? That is exactly what you need to ask the trainer before parting ways. A quality dog trainer will be able to equip you with all the information you need to know to help your dog maintain his new good habits. They’ll answer any of your questions and concerns and inform you of what your dog now knows and understands.

What Will I Be Charged for?

This is a top question to ask before you even consider hiring a trainer. You want to know upfront if you are getting charged per training session alone or if you’ll also be charged for additional things such as email responses, phone calls, and anything that happens in between sessions. The last thing you want is to be hit with a giant surprise bill that you weren’t expecting. Sit down with the dog trainer and get all the information on what their cost is and how you’ll be billed before deciding to move forward.

Are you currently looking for the right Long Island dog trainer for your dog? Or do you have additional questions related to dog training and how you can find the best trainer for your needs? Contact Canine Commander today.